Agrichemicals must influence some aspect of the ecosystem to which they are applied if they are to be effective. Whenever the biological activity generated by their presence is judged to cause more harm than benefit, then the agrichemical becomes hazardous, as opposed to beneficial. Immediate harmful effects are usually associated with accidental spills, misapplication rates, or improper disposal of the concentrated waste chemical. Protracted effects can occur when the dispersed chemicals are reconcentrated by biological food chains.
Much research has been devoted to methods for disposing of agrichemicals, as well as other similarly hazardous chemicals and industrial wastes. One particular approach has involved the inceneration of such wastes, although this itself can create an air pollution control problem. Similarly, the materials may be disposed of in appropriately constructed waste basins, although such disposal procedures are expensive and result in a complete economic loss of the chemical. No procedure has been developed, as yet, to convert the waste chemicals into a form suitable for further processing and ultimately reuse.
Our above-referenced patent application discloses a method and apparatus for converting certain types of carbonaceous liquid and particulate material into a medium grade BTU gas through plasma techniques. We have now found that dissolved agrichemicals, chlorinated hydrocarbons and other similar liquid organic wastes can also be thermally decomposed and chemically reformed by that process. The resulting chemically reformed gas has a significant fraction of unsaturated hydrocarbons, has a hydrogen-carbon monoxide ratio in excess of 3:1 and includes hydrogen and carbon monoxide which are useful in the synthesis of oxo chemicals, such as aldehydes, ketones and the like. The process is non-specific, thereby resulting in the destruction of the conductive layer, as well as the insulative layer, and cannot be used to recover the chemicals.